Canada’s CBC secures $30m gov’t support ‘to preserve jobs & programming’

Catherine Tait

CBC/Radio-Canada has secured a one-off payment of C$42m ($30m) from the Canadian government that will ease pressure on the pubcaster.

CBC has made a series of cuts over recent months after revealing late last year that it was planning to cut around 600 jobs and reduce its commissioning and acquisitions budget by around $40m (US$29.5m).

The company said it was implementing the cuts to tackle around $125m in “budget pressures” forecast for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

However, that “pressure” is being slightly eased with the C$42m injection from Canada’s federal budget, which also includes C$40m support over two years for the Canada Media Fund.

A further C$23m has been pencilled in to support the Toronto International Film Festival.

“This investment, together with the steps we have taken since December, means we will be able to stabilise our operations, preserve jobs and continue to invest in programmes and services,” said CBC chief Catherine Tait.

She said the injection was “good news for Canadians, who continue to depend on their public broadcaster for trusted news and information, and great Canadian programming like the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.”